


This Job Was a Bad Idea

by NoodlesRamen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU-Working!, M/M, Multi, Workplace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-09-30 16:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10167248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodlesRamen/pseuds/NoodlesRamen
Summary: Set in a Working! AU.Semi has a crush on his annoying co-worker Tendou, Sugawara quite likes the attractive guy who keeps coming in, Oikawa is constantly after Iwaizumi, Akaashi wishes Bokuto would leave him alone, and Ukai wishes that someone normal would work in the damn restaurant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some Haikyuu fanfiction but I wanted to do multiple pairings without having to jump to different schools/doing only a chapter per pairing, so I decided to stick them all in one workplace (based off the restaurant from Working!) so I could mess around XD The main pairing will be TenSemi.  
> I have several fanfics I write and upload on fanfiction.net so updates will be irregular.

_Another day, another heap of shit._ Semi was really not in the mood to go into work tonight. He’d had a shitty lecture this morning and he’d been up until way too late last night finishing an essay. As long as he didn’t have any of the particularly annoying idiots on tonight, he would probably survive.

He worked in a restaurant on the outskirts of the city; one that was relatively well known but not too crowded. It paid decently too so Semi had jumped at the opportunity when he had seen it advertised.

He approached the building via the main entrance so he could walk past and see how many people were in there currently. So far, it looked averagely busy; nothing he couldn’t handle.

As he changed into his waiting uniform, he could hear the sounds of the kitchen at work, at the moment void of singing. It was a hopeful sign. His first stop was going to be the break room; there was a coffee machine in there that was calling his name. It would have to be a strong one to get him going. As usual their manager Ukai was sat at the table having a smoke.

“Evening.”

“Hey.” Semi gave a half-hearted wave and headed straight to that beautiful machine.

“Want the good news?” Semi groaned. It sounded suspicious when he put it like that.

“What?”

“Goshiki won’t be in tonight. Family emergency so he switched a shift.” He liked Goshiki but the kid could be clumsy as he hadn’t been there for very long. Somehow Semi knew things would be worse.

“Who did he switch with?” He had a feeling he knew.

“Shirabu.” Immediately Semi began banging his head against the wall. “He’s not that bad.”

“Yes he is. He hates me.” And then another thought. “Who else is working?”

“With you guys? Oikawa and Akaashi.”

“No. I meant in the kitchen.” _I’m a good person. I don’t deserve this kind of abuse._

“Tendou and Iwaizumi.” _Well fuck my life. Shitori and Shitabu on the same shift. Fan-fucking-tastic._ “You ok?”

“I’ll live.” He’d probably get fed up very quickly but he would survive the night.

Akaashi was outside by the sink, cleaning a few cups as Semi came over and slumped next to him, looking quite pitiful. His friend didn’t even look at him.

“Just ignore him.”

“But he likes to insult me.” Shirabu was a disrespectful little shit-stain.

“He’s a high-schooler, you’re a college student. You’re older, deal with it.”

“I know… I just wish he’d show me some respect you know? Like Goshiki.”

“Goshiki is better.” Akaashi nodded. “Think you can take table eight? I have four others.”

“On it.”

Semi, despite his tiredness, gave a bright sunny smile to the table full of salarymen and took their orders, only dropping the façade when he was back out of sight. Acting wasn’t hard but it would drain you. And he’d had food orders too, which meant he would have to interact with the kitchen.

Semi didn’t mind talking to his co-workers. It was essential in this kind of environment. But tonight it was likely he’d end up taking mainly with Tendou. And when you spoke to Tendou, he had a tendency to drag out interactions for as long as possible and to make them as irritating as possible.

There didn’t seem to be anyone at the window as he approached and, just as Semi was about to ring the bell, a flash of red hair suddenly shot upwards in front of him.

“Hello Semisemi~.” _Was he just waiting for me down there?_ Tendou had popped up from behind the counter like a freaking Jack in the box and was smiling his best creepy smile.

“Tendou.” Not that Semi would address what he had just seen. He’d made that mistake before and it had never led to a clear answer or explanation. “I need two hamburger steaks and a lasagne.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please.” He sighed that special sigh he reserved for interactions with the red head.

“You’re so cold Semisemi.” Tendou pouted at him.

“We’re supposed to be working. And don’t call me that.” And before he could be pulled into more of a conversation, Semi moved on to the drinks machine and started getting it ready.

“Cold… It’s so cold over here…” _Ignore him._

“What’s cold Satori-chan?” _Don’t encourage him Oikawa._

“Semi’s giving me the cold shoulder.”

“So mean Eita-chan.”

“You can get back to work too!” Semi piled the drinks on to the tray and left them to their slacking.

Tendou often referred to him as a Tsundere and insisted that he was ‘adorable’. It always annoyed him when he did that. Especially the adorable part. Semi had to leave the room when he did that. Because who wouldn’t get a little flustered when someone did that? It didn’t matter that it was Tendou… Ok, maybe it did a little.

 _Ugh. I suck._ He really was jealous of Oikawa. That guy could just flirt with Iwaizumi unashamedly and not give a shit when he got knocked back. For Semi it was a little different.

On the first shift he’d ever worked, he’d gotten sight of Tendou Satori. And had been immediately interested. The guy was pretty weird looking but he was exactly Semi’s type; tall, energetic, and confident. Until he spoke. Then Semi had realised he was a complete dork and often irritating. But much to his annoyance, the feelings had just gotten stronger the more he tried to restrain them.

And thus came his problem; Tendou liked talking to him but if he spoke to him for too long, he would get embarrassed. And so he had to avoid long conversations with his co-worker so as not to give himself away. Because why would Tendou like him? He was so prickly and honestly, a bit boring. No, it was better to suck it up and avoid him. He didn’t want to deal with being rejected.

“Oi Senpai. You’re in my way.” Semi had been kind of in a daydream as he started clearing a table when he was suddenly nudged aside.

“Hey! Don’t do that!” Shirabu just eyed him up.

“You weren’t moving. It’s not my fault.”

“Show your Senpai some respect!” Shirabu ignored him and went on his way. Semi sighed. High schoolers today were such jerks.

\------

 _Why did it get so busy all of a sudden??_ Semi collapsed onto his table in the break room, finally able to sit down after a couple of hours on his feet. Even Tendou had barely been able to do his usual messing around and dance around the kitchen.

 _And I’ve already had three coffees. Ugh._ His addiction was starting to become extreme. If you were getting headaches from withdrawal, it was probably a good idea to stop.

“Oh Iwa-chan~.” _I wondered when this would happen._ Even though he was tired, Semi perked up a little. This would definitely make him feel better about his own useless love life. “This box is heavy!” Everyone knew Oikawa was pretty tough so this was clearly bullshit.

“Do your own work Shittykawa.”

“But Iwa-chan!”

“No. I’m busy.”

“So mean!”

“Good.” Semi stifled his laughter. Iwaizumi was damn awesome.

“Something funny Semisemi?” _Ugh. Of course._

“No.” He grabbed a newspaper and started flicking through so he didn’t have to talk.

“But if there’s something fun, you should tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” He’d probably heard it too. Though he could feel the presence lingering next to him, he did not look up. He was probably pulling a really weird face or something. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“I’m on a break~.” _Ukai you asshole._ This was probably some kind of scheme to get them talking more. All Ukai had seen was that the pair (mainly due to Semi), didn’t appear to get on.

“Then read a book.”

“I wanna talk to my good old buddy Semisemi.” An arm was wrapped around him and he froze, trying not to panic as his heart rate started racing. _Shit. Fuck. Fuck. No._

“We are not buddies.”

“Aww. Yes we are. I think you’re my buddy.”

“Stop poking my face.” He could probably tell that he was quite warm and he would probably mock him for it.

“Too much Tsun there Semisemi. When are you going to show me some Dere??”

“Go die.” _Why do I do this? Why can’t I talk like a normal person instead of spouting a load of shit?_ Perhaps in an alternate dimension there was another Semi Eita who was actually managing to flirt with Tendou, instead of spouting hatred.

“So cruel. Wouldn’t you miss me?”

“No.” And yet again.

“I bet you would~.”

“Find someone else to annoy.” _Just look at the newspaper and ignore him. He’ll go away soon anyway._ He always stopped before he wound up Semi too much.

“But you’re my favourite.” He knew it wasn’t meant in the way he was thinking of it, but he was still practically broken by it. He paused as his brain started repeating those words. “Semi?”

“Y-You can sit there if you don’t touch me!”

“And there’s the Dere.”

“Shut up.” He wished he didn’t know what that meant. Where had his innocence gone?

And then there was the silence; blissful silence. Well as silent as it could be with Tendou around anyway. The man was now lightly tapping on the table and humming a little song but he wasn’t getting all touchy feely or talking anymore. Semi was honestly still nervous, but he could relax a little more at least. Especially if he just stared blankly at the words on the page in front of him.

“Huh? You’re looking at jobs?” _What??_ He hadn’t been paying enough attention to know what he was looking at but he could see that this was indeed the vacancies page.

“Might be…” That was definitely not planned and he hoped it was not mentioned to Ukai. He couldn’t just admit that it was accidental though.

“You-.”

“Hey Satori-chan.” _Thank you Oikawa you beautiful bastard._ “Iwa-chan needs your help.”

“Tch. Fine.” _What was that?_ Tendou didn’t normally sound that annoyed about things like that. Probably just being weird.

\------

“Welcome. Is this for three of you?” The small group of women nodded. “This way please.”

 _I think this job does suit me anyway._ He’d looked through the jobs page whilst he was on it and hadn’t been able to find anything else that suited him. Plus he was pretty happy here anyway. _It could be really bad anyway._ Semi thought as he made his way to the food area. _I could be a high school teacher._

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing Shitabu.” So maybe he’d been smirking a little as he looked at Shirabu. The annoyance and confusion on his face gave him a happy feeling.

Semi nodded to Akaashi as he passed him and approached the counter. Opening hours would be over soon and then he could retreat to his own home where he could shovel in whatever food he had in his cupboards and watch some crappy evening TV. He deserved an evening off after the week he’d had.

From the window he could see Iwaizumi’s back as he seemed to be working on some kind of stir fry and Tendou cutting up some vegetables.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. They were only at work after all after all. He had to talk to him for the job.

“Hey Tendou!” He tried not to feel self-conscious as those strange eyes made contact with his. “I need three chocolate parfaits.”

“Ah. Ok.” _That… was subdued._ And Tendou went back to work. Where was the mocking? He actually paused, such was the shock. He only realised he was staring when Tendou suddenly looked back at him. _Ah._

Semi turned and moved away, cursing his foul luck. But he couldn’t help it. Tendou was usually way more peppy and bouncy than that. And now Semi was worried. Not like it was his business though. Tendou was friends with people like Ushiwaka and that Bokuto guy. Not him. He wouldn’t bother talking to Semi if he had a problem.

“Eita-chan? Why are you chopping up that sponge?” _Oh… Oops…_ He’d thought that bread had felt a bit weird.

“Oops.”

“You should pay attention.”

“Yeah… too tired…”

“Get it together man.”

“I’ll try.”

“Want any help?”

“I’ve got it.”

Tossing the now useless sponge to one side, he tried to get back into the swing of things. He was good at his damn job usually. He worked bloody hard and he usually could stay focused. A bit of worrying wasn’t going to ruin it for him. Though he was distracted by a sudden smashing sound behind him.

“You doing ok Tendou?”

“Totally fine Iwaiwa!” Semi could see Tendou just standing up, a couple of bits of glass in hands. Their eyes met again and connected for longer than usual. It was perhaps a little intense but Semi couldn’t stop himself from staring. He’d always liked those weird eyes. It wasn’t stopped until Iwaizumi approached Tendou and the pair looked away from each other.

“Are you alright Semi-san?”

“Yeah…” And then he processed what Akaashi had just said. “Oh! Yep, I’m ok. It’s just been a long night.”

“Hmm…” Akaashi’s gaze flicked to Tendou, then back to him. “Be careful.”

“Ok.” _He creeps me out sometimes._ He could never tell what Akaashi was thinking.

And then he kept watching Semi, studying him for reasons unknown. He wasn’t gonna question it since Akaashi was scary, even if he was a nice person really. Semi did rush to get out of the changing rooms at the end of the shift in his haste to avoid further study. Of course, he couldn’t escape awkwardness that easily.

“Hey Semisemi.” _How long has he been there?_ He’d thought Tendou had left ages ago and yet there he was crouching by the door. When he straightened up to his full height, he was really quite intimidating in spite of his thin frame.

“Hey…” He’d assumed Tendou was waiting for Shirabu since they sometimes walked home together but he started to follow Semi as he exited the restaurant. This hadn’t happened before and Semi was reacting in the expected manner. _Oh shit, shit. What is this? Why is this?_

“Nice night for a stroll ain’t it?”

“I guess?” At least he’d given it a good response.

“Hmm~.” Semi risked a small glance at Tendou. He walked with his shoulders slightly hunched forwards and his hands in his pockets. This was probably the first time they had done anything outside of work. Semi didn’t even know where Tendou lived or what direction he normally walked in.

Semi shivered a little from the cold breeze and shoved his hands into his pockets. There was a pretty strange atmosphere in the air. There wasn’t much in the way of tension but it felt different to the usual air that accompanied their interactions.

“So are you leaving Semisemi?” Semi stared at him. “Are you changing jobs?”

“No…”

“Really?” _He sounds happy…_ Without thinking on it much, Semi did feel a little happy about this.

“There was nothing better.”

“Oh…” Tendou made a few clicking noises with his tongue. “You weren’t leaving because of me right?”

“Umm…” _I didn’t expect that question._ Unfortunately he found himself pausing for longer than he should have done.

“Ah. I thought so.” Tendou stopped walking and Semi stopped. “I’m sorry I keep bothering you. I kind of like having fun with you but I know I can be too much sometimes so if it makes you that uncomfortable, I’ll stop.” _Stop?_

“I don’t want you to stop! I like talking to you!” In some ways. Despite the nervous tension.

“But you always walk off. And get pissy. It’s kind of hard to tell.”

“I’m just awkward ok? It’s not you. You’re great.” _Why did I add that part?_

“I’m great?”

“A bit…” He was probably smirking and Semi didn’t want to see that.

“Wait…. I get it.” _Oh no. What did he get?_ “When you were looking at jobs, you’d just flicked to the first page you came to, didn’t you?”

“How did you know that??” This time he stared right at Tendou who seemed almost surprised by the sudden outburst. He quickly progressed on to a short laugh. One that Semi was annoyed to note was quite adorable.

“You just said you were awkward. It seemed a likely thing you’d do.” _Ah._ “But man Semisemi, I’m glad you’re not leaving. And I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

“You are?”

“Sure I am.” And suddenly he was being enveloped in the arms of Tendou Satori. “Like I said, you’re my favourite.”

“I… I… I’m going home!” Yes he was running down the road like an idiot but he couldn’t cope with the embarrassment anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer than planned to upload, mainly because I've been busy doing other things. Hopefully you enjoy reading it though :)

“Suga?!” _Why is he under there?!_ Semi had only gone to get some more napkins from under the counter and had found Suga squatting under there. And this was supposed to be one of the more normal people here.

“Shh! I’m building up my courage!” _I don’t think he realises how cute he looks slapping his cheeks like that. Or maybe he does?_

“For what?”

“ _He_ is here.” It took a moment for Semi to realise what he meant.

“Ohh. But… Why aren’t you doing that in the breakroom?”

“I don’t want to be yelled at.”

“Reasonable.”

“And on that note, pretend I’m not here.” That sounded fine to him. He could go on refilling napkin holders like he was supposed to be doing. “Is he still there?”

“I thought I was supposed to be ignoring you?”

“But is he there?” Semi leant around the partition that hid the server area from the main restaurant. There were only a few occupied tables at the moment since lunch break hadn’t yet began and it was easy to locate the required individual.

“Yep. With his friends.” There were three men sitting by the window, one of which was the black-haired dude Suga was currently talking about. Today it seemed he had brought the bald guy he had been with before, as well as an unfamiliar guy with a bun. “Yeah, I can recognise Baldy.”

“Who do you think the other guy is? Does it look like they’re dating?” Suga was fully leaning out now. Semi sighed, wondering why he was being dragged into this, and continued to survey the group with his friend. Bun dude was looking awkward as the Baldy spoke and the black-haired one was laughing.

“I don’t know. You could find out?”

“Why can’t you help me out??”

“I’m working! And it’s not my crush!” Knowing him, he’d end up fucking up badly and looking like some kind of stalker.

“Hmph.” Suga was even cute when he pouted.

“Are they one of yours?”

“No. They’re Yamaguchi’s. Lucky asshole.”

“You could just ask him to trade with you?” It wasn’t like it would bother the customers and Yamaguchi could take the nice elderly couple.

“Ohh! Good idea!”

“And I guess I’m walking past there so if I happen to overhear anything…” This was apparently enough to lift Suga’s spirits and he jumped up.

“Thanks! I owe you one!” And off he skipped to find Yamaguchi.

The mystery black-haired dude (name currently unknown) had been coming to the restaurant for the past two weeks, occasionally with a friend but mainly alone. Suga, upon sighting the man, had made his way into the breakroom and had announced to the assemblage of people in there that he was in love. All had treated this proclamation with indifference since at the time Goshiki had come running in to declare the kitchen was on fire.

After this first visit, all had been entertained by Suga’s stalker-ish behaviour. Although he hadn’t actually thrown himself at the guy yet, it was only a matter of time.

As Semi moved to clear one of the nearby tables, he idled next to the group, trying to catch snippets of conversation. He just had to make sure he kept doing things so they didn’t notice him being weird.

“But seriously, Kiyoko-san was so cute yesterday! She said she hoped my grandmother would be feeling better soon.”

“Does she know that your grandma got out of the hospital last week?” This was from the mystery guy, earning a splutter from the loud-talking baldy.

“N-no… But then I’d have no excuse to go back!”

“Tanaka, just ask her out already. Get her number or something.”

“But what if she says no?”

“Then at least you tried?”

“My heart couldn’t take it!” Baldy face-planted on the table and Mystery guy and Man bun shared a glance.

“So Asahi, what you gonna order?”

“I haven’t really decided yet.”

“Asahi! Daichi! Why can’t you help me??” _Ah a full house._

“You’re beyond help.”

“And we _have_ tried.”

“I’m calling Noya! My bro will get me!” Semi could see him fiddling with his phone as he wandered away with a small pile of dirty dishes. He passed Suga about to move over.

“Baldy is Tanaka and fancies a girl. Man bun is Asahi and your dream guy is Daichi.”

“Thanks!” He received a Sugawara thumbs up (accompanied by a wink). _And my good deed for the day is done. Better get me another coffee before the lunch rush._

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course Wakatoshi-kun, would I like to you?” _Oh dear. What circle of hell am I about to walk into?_ A Tendou and Ushiwaka conversation usually was of some concern. Indeed, he could see the redhead’s trademark smirk as he looked across the table at his stone-faced friend.

“Semi.” Ushijima was always formal with him.

“Ushiwaka.”

“Semisemi! Tell Wakatoshi-kun that I’m telling the truth!”

“About?”

“He was telling me about ‘blowjobs’.” _This again? Seriously Shitori, you’ve had your fun._

“You’ve told him that same bullshit you told Goshiki, haven’t you?”

“No…” He wasn’t making eye contact.

“How old are you?? Most people stop finding this shit funny when they leave elementary school.”

“They’re all boring, that’s why.”

“OK. Ushiwaka, a blowjob is not when you blow on someone’s food.” Goshiki had discovered this the hard way.

“I suspected as much.”

“Why did you ruin my fun Semisemi??” Tendou pouted at him.

“Because it’s a terrible idea. Goshiki offered one to a customer! An elderly customer!” The redhead smirked at him, remembering his triumph.

“And what does it actually mean?” Tendou and Semi eyed each other. “Is it sexual?”

“Ask Ukai.”

“The manager will definitely answer all questions.”

“I shall try that.” _Sorry Ukai… I’ll buy you some cigarettes or something._ As Ushijima left the room, he was left alone with Tendou. Again. _Balls._

At least Tendou now thought that his weird behaviour was down to social awkwardness. It would make it easier to hide the crush. As long as he didn’t hug him again. He didn’t want Tendou’s warm body pressed up against him and his scent all over his- No! Enough of that! It was bad enough that he’d been thinking about this stuff last night.

“Ta da~.” Semi suddenly had a mug pushed in front of him and Tendou put out jazz hands. “Coffee for you.”

“Thanks…” He sat opposite Tendou, unsure of how to make eye contact when the redhead was sitting forward with his chin resting on his hands and smiling. “What?”

“Is it good?”

“It’s OK? It could do with less sugar.”

“Ahh. I see you like your coffee bitter. Like your soul.”

“Thank you Shitori.” _Oops._ Unlike Shitabu, he had never used the Shitori nickname aloud before and he froze at the accidental use.

“What did you just call me?”

“…Shitori.” Semi glared straight at Tendou. _Yeah, I have an insulting nickname for you. What of it?_

“Aww Semi! You had a pet name for me this whole time! I knew you considered me a friend!” _Oh yeah… He likes stuff like that._ “Maybe I should call you Eita?”

“What?!”

“But you called me Satori!”

“No, I called you Shitori.”

“But still.” _He’s looking like he’s pondering something. That ain’t good._

“But I like Semisemi! It’s… err…. Cute?” Well it was cute when Tendou said it. Except for when it became annoying.

“Did you just call yourself cute?” That smirking was less cute.

“No!”

“Ohh, so you said I was cute? You flatterer, you!”

“The nickname is cute! The nickname!” You could just never win with this guy.

\-----

“Are you ready to order?” Suga tilted his head, gave a winning smile and looked right at the one he now knew to be Daichi. A full charm offensive. That was the way to go. So far this guy had not picked up on any of his hints. All three of the occupants of the table were watching him.

“I’ll have a hamburger steak!”

“Could I get an Om-rice?” Suga noted on his book and then looked at Daichi. Who was currently staring at him in some kind of awe. This wasn’t the first time; he’d done this every other time that Suga had served him.

“Hey Daichi! Wake up!” Tanaka threw a crumpled napkin at Daichi’s head.

“Oh! Sorry! Uh… I’ll get another Om-rice?”

“Of course.” _Perfect._ “I’ll be back soon with your food.”

Suga was smiling to himself as he crossed back to the serving area. All the signs were clearly there; the guy always looked at him, always seemed nervous, and kept coming back here. It had to be a crush. Suga thought he was really cute as well and he didn’t want to get rejected on the miniscule chance that he was wrong. And so he was doing his best to get him to make a move. A good, if slightly cowardly strategy.

That didn’t mean he was going to be that subtle. Although he seemed angelic in appearance, the chuckle he was currently doing was entirely demonic, and Yamaguchi flinched at the aura his friend was emanating. It was better not to ask in this case.

“Ushijima-san!” He grabbed the stoic-faced one as he passed on his way to the kitchen, looking somewhat concerned. “A hamburger steak and two om-rice please! And I’ll do the ketchup.” Yes it was cliché, but only because people liked it.

“If you really want to?”

Now that Suga had done this, he skipped in the direction of the breakroom. He had to tell Semi the good news and of course, quiz him on the signs exhibited so far to indicate a crush. Though perhaps Semi was too busy right now.

“Oh my! Should I come back later?” Semi looked horrified at having his friend seeing him being pinned down by Tendou. It seemed he wasn’t the only one making progress today.

“No! It’s not what it looks like!” Semi’s face had changed to match the colour of Tendou’s hair.

“Oh?” Suga was smirking, along with Tendou, who still hadn’t moved from his position.

“He’s just being annoying!” Semi was currently trying to squirm his way out of the hold on his wrists. “Let go of me!”

“But you look so funny!”

“Get off!” Unfortunately for Semi, Tendou had a good extra four inches of height on him and was in the advantageous position on top. “Help me!”

“Sorry, I’m too busy!”

“Suga!”

Suga chuckled as he left Semi to face his doom. Those two really needed to just get together already; it was surprising that Tendou hadn’t made a move when you considered his usual attitude. Perhaps he was being shy? Who knew?

_Or perhaps I just interrupted him… It’s Tendou, he won’t care._ Suga knew that Tendou would just carry on as if nothing had happened. Semi was the one likely to make a swift escape when he got the chance.

“I have your orders over here.”

“Thank you Ushijima-san.” _And now for my kind-of-but-not-really cunning plan._

On the one known as Asahi’s rice, he drew a simple cat face. One of the usual drawings you would get in your average maid café. For Daichi he had considered a heart… until he realised that still wasn’t obvious enough. He would need to pull out all the stops for this one.

\-----

“So then, Kiyoko-san-.”

“Yes, we know. She is great.” Daichi didn’t mind his friend loudly discussing his crush, but hearing about it almost constantly for a week was getting annoying.

“I don’t say that much!”

“You kind of do.”

“Hey! Don’t join in Asahi! You know the only reason we’re here is that Daichi can’t ask the ‘angel’ on a date!”

“Shh!” Daichi lowered himself and started looking around. Thankfully none of the people working here were close enough to actually hear.

“Come on, it’s obvious! You stare at him so much.”

“No I don’t. Do I?” He addressed this to Asahi.

“Um… A little bit…” Which meant he had probably been doing it a lot. Oh dear.

It wasn’t his fault though; he’d been completely taken aback the first time he’d seen him. His soft smile, that little mole underneath his eye, the way his silky hair fell; everything about that particular server had left him captivated.

After cowering out of there the first time, Daichi had kept coming back, hoping to finally build up enough courage to actually ask for his number, but every time he had backed off like the coward he apparently was. The guy was just so intimidating despite his kindly appearance.

“I just don’t know how to ask him.”

“You just do it. Like you said to me.” Tanaka was right but that didn’t make it easier.

“I think the food is coming.” Indeed, the angel himself was carrying a try of plates, smiling as he approached.

“Thank you for waiting.”

Daichi could barely look at him as his food was laid out and he was staring so intently at the table that he didn’t notice anything odd. Until he realised that there was something that looked like writing on his om-rice. When he realised what it said, he immediately started spluttering.

“Enjoy the meal~.” He only looked up to see the silver-haired man winking up at him before he disappeared.

“What are you freaking out about?”

“Are those words?” There was no point trying to hide it since Tanaka would be determined. Daichi wordlessly turned the plate round so that his friends could clearly see the words ‘nice thighs’ written in ketchup. Immediately Tanaka let out a cackle of laughter, loud enough to draw stares from all around the restaurant.

“At least you know he likes you now?” It could certainly be looked at in that way.

“Yeah… And that is great. I’d enjoy it more if Tanaka would shut the hell up!” This was embarrassing enough without his friend’s raucous laughter attracting attention.

“I’ve gotta take a photo of this so Noya can see.” Daichi was not going to allow this to happen; who knows who would see it if Noya got hold of it? Quick work with the fork soon put paid to that. “You can’t do that!!”

“I just did.”

“Killjoy.”

\------

“Did it work?” Yamaguchi appeared behind Suga, currently watching the table of guys finishing off their food.

“I don’t know.” Suga was biting his lip. Maybe it had been a bit much?

“It looks like they’re nearly done.”

“I guess I’ll find out now.” Suga steeled himself and went towards the table.

“Do you need anything else? Any dessert?”

“No... Could we get the bill?” The Daichi wasn’t looking in his direction. _Hmm…_

“Follow me.” _Ah well. It was worth a try._ He was still a little disappointed. Daichi seemed like a nice person as well as having amazing thighs and it would have been fun to go on a date at least.

The bald dude was apparently being forced to pay for it all, much to his consternation as he kept whining and glaring at everyone.

“This is expensive.”

“You brought this on yourself.” _He is cute when he’s stern._ When they accidentally made eye contact with him, Daichi flushed and looked quickly away. Adorable.

“I hope you guys come again.” He could dream.

“Umm…” _Huh?_ The Daichi was trying to talk to him. This hadn’t happened before.

“Yes?” Suga had to restrain himself a little so as not to seem too keen.

“Could I… could I get your phone number? If you’d like to, maybe-.”

“Here it is!” The speed with which he had grabbed a piece of paper and written out the digits had been possibly record breaking. Daichi paused a minute, unable to keep up with the speed.

“Thanks… I’ll call you later then?”

“I’ll look forward to it.” _Yes!!! I knew it would work!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning on updating the next one soon since it is nearly done, and it will be BokuAka focused. I'm gonna be writing DaiSuga's first date possibly in one of the two chapters after that.


	3. Chapter 3

“We’re going to meet up this Saturday. I don’t know what he’s got planned, but it’ll probably be good.”

“I’m glad it worked out! You guys sound like you’ll be cute.”

“I’ll make sure to give you all the details.” Oikawa and Suga both shared dirty grins.

“Well isn’t that riveting? I can barely contain myself.” Akaashi on the other hand, was very much stuck in this fascinating magazine on gardens (with a special feature on hedges).

“Keiji is so cold.”

“He truly is the king of sass.” Akaashi ignored the commentary.

“You have to admit that story is cute.”

“I guess?” Objectively he would consider it cute. But he didn’t actually feel much towards it. Romance wasn’t something that interested him. “I need to get started on the cleaning.”

“We’ve still got half an hour before it opens. That’s plenty of time.”

“If I do it, you two can spend more time gossiping about your love life.”

“He makes a good point.”

Mopping the floor was one of those activities that helped you enter into a vegetative state and Akaashi was happy to do this. People thought Akaashi was apathetic but really he just appreciated silence every once in a while. And considering how loud some of the people were around here, it was probably a good thing that someone did.

He also couldn’t help that he ended up sounding harsh. It was just a fact that Akaashi ended up being honest about what he was thinking most of the time. Even to people he liked, like Suga and Oikawa.

“Where the hell are my deliveries?” Ukai had emerged from his domain in the inner office to the main restaurant where he could glare out the front windows.

“Late?”

“Those two idiots probably distracted again.” _Two idiots?_ There was only one duo that this could be describing and Akaashi sighed. “Oh wait. Here they are.”

A rather battered blue van had just turned into the car park of the restaurant and Ukai headed round to the side entrance to meet the van’s occupants. Akaashi was just praying that they would only drop off whatever they had and leave. It would make life easier for him. He did see the van stopping out of the corner of his eye and tried to ignore it. Things went badly if you looked at it for too long.

_So that’s the floor finished. I just need to check the condiments and maybe the seats._ As he made a circle of the room, he became increasingly aware of a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. The restaurant itself was empty and he could only hear signs of people in the distance. Until he turned to an outer window and saw a man pressed up against the glass, nose flattened as he stared at Akaashi with wide, amber eyes. Akaashi was so startled he dropped his cloth.

_Oh no. Why?_ He couldn’t pretend not to have noticed him by this point since they had made eye contact. The weirdo had begun jumping around and waving with a big smile on his face so Akaashi felt obliged to at least give him a small wave. The outdoor idiot practically sparkled with excitement and began doing some kind of celebratory dance in the car park. Until another man with messy black hair came around and bopped him on the head.

Akaashi could hear the muffled argument through the glass and left him to it. They could be quite funny to watch but he had things to do. Not that Oikawa realised this from the way he was leaning on the counter and staring.

“So I see Kou-chan is here.”

“Indeed.” _We need more sauce sachets._

“Aren’t you going to go and say hi?”

“Why?”

“Because you love him?”

“I don’t.” He didn’t have much patience for this conversation.

“But he loves you.”

“That’s nice.” Oikawa looked like he was going to add more here. “Don’t you have an Iwaizumi to annoy?”

“You know as well as I do that Iwa-chan won’t be here for another half an hour.”

“Then go bother Suga.” Akaashi strolled past, ignoring any possible reply so he could get to the till area. Maybe he could fuss with the menus or something.

It worked up to a point. Oikawa left him alone and Ukai wasn’t going to question anything he was doing. Most people were easily deterred by his intimidating stare. But there were some people who could never be deterred. Some were unable to read people at all.

“Akaaaashiiiii!” His name was drawn out, starting from far away and getting gradually closer like some kind of wailing siren. Akaashi took a deep breath to steady himself before he was forced to deal with the situation.

“There’s no need to shout Bokuto-san.” That was a foolish thing to say really; Bokuto would always shout, even if he was trying to be quiet.

“But Akaahshi! I haven’t seen you in forever!” He always forgot just how much Bokuto was. It was hard to be prepared. Especially when he was leaning towards you.

“We saw each other a week ago.”

“Anytime is too long if it isn’t spent with you.” _Oh god. How can he come out with shit like that? And with a straight face too._ Akaashi backed away a little

“Can you please not say things like that?” Bokuto’s face fell.

“But I mean it!” Before he had a chance to escape, Bokuto had advanced and managed to grip Akaashi’s hands. “I really love you Akaashi.”

“Err…” Normally he had no problem coming out with scathing remarks but when faced with such straightforward honesty, he always paused. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“I’m sure! You’re the only one for me!”

“You barely know me.”

“I still know! We should go on a date.”

“No thank you.” He was not getting into this. Even though he felt a stab of guilt when Bokuto started to deflate.

“OK…” He looked like a lost puppy in the rain. Bokuto was always the only one to make Akaashi feel bad.

“I have to get back to work.” _Stop looking so sad._

“That’s fine!” Bokuto attempted to smile. “I have stuff to do now anyways.”

“I err… hope I see you again soon Bokuto-san.” Only this short phrase was enough to lift Bokuto’s spirits.

“You will Akaashi.” And Bokuto, after giving him a wink, hurried away. _That sounds ominous._

As usual after an encounter with the dreaded owl man, Akaashi was in a weird mood. Not that he was arrogant but Akaashi knew he wasn’t unattractive. People had shown an interest in him before but he had never been keen himself.

Never had Akaashi felt anything romantic for another person. He didn’t choose to be this way, he just didn’t understand it very well. Usually if someone got persistent, he would get angry and tell them where to go. For the first time Bokuto had made him feel like he could not do that. He was harmless in spite of his boundless energy and when he looked like a deflated balloon, Akaashi had to comfort him in some way. The way he wore his heart on his sleeve made him difficult to dislike.

_Ahh Bokuto-san. Why do you do these things?_ When Akaashi had started this job a year before he had very quickly met the two… whatever the hell they were. No one was really clear on what they did. All he knew for certain was that Kuroo and Bokuto worked for Ukai and did… random things. The main job they seemed to carry out in the restaurant were deliveries and heavy lifting. What they did elsewhere, he didn’t know.

On the first day they had met, Bokuto had been staring at Akaashi so intensely that he had walked into a door. As he later informed him, he had apparently ‘fallen in love at first sight’. A dubious concept if there ever was one. And something he had heard all too often. But unlike the usual reaction (loss of interest or anger) when Akaashi showed his colder side, Bokuto had become more determined.

It had been a surprise to say the least and it made him feel like a bad person for constantly saying no. It wasn’t like he could just magically acquire feelings for someone. But Bokuto never got angry with him for saying no and never pushed farther than Akaashi was comfortable with. It was only the persistence that was troublesome to deal with.

_I wish he’d stop hurting himself like this. And buoying himself up with false hopes. Poor, stupid, Bokuto._ If he had been only interested in friendship, Akaashi would have relented.

“Love is in the air! Do do doo, do do do-Ow! Don’t throw book at me Keiji!”

“Don’t be such a piece of shit then.”

\----

“There’s a new group in, could you take it?” Akaashi paused in his tea making to eye up Suga suspiciously.

“Why?”

“Because you might be good with them?”

“And you won’t?” He was plotting something. Behind that angelic appearance was a bloody devil.

“Go on Akaashi.”

He wasn’t going to agree without checking. And when he peered out and spotted the new group, he immediately glared.

“No.”

“But he requested you!”

“I have three tables.”

“I’ll take one! Come on, you’re the only one who can handle him.” _Ugh._

“You won’t stop if I refuse, will you?”

“Nope. And he’ll probably try to engage you in conversation anyway.” This was a very true point.

“OK, fine.” He slunk off towards the Kuroo and Bokuto table, wishing he didn’t have to deal with this crush all the time. Normally one encounter in a day was enough. Bokuto immediately brightened when he saw his beloved approaching and Kuroo smirked.

“What do you want then?”

“That’s not a nice way to talk to your customers.”

“You’re not customers, you’re annoying. Order your food or leave.”

“Couldn’t you sit with us for a while Akaashi?” Bokuto was pouting.

“I’m busy. Doing my job.”

“I want two slices of coffee cake and a chocolate parfait.”

“And I want a strawberry shortcake and a lemon meringue pie!”

“You two deserve all the teeth you will lose.”

“So harsh Akaashi.”

If they had just eaten and left, it would have been OK. But Bokuto didn’t seem keen on leaving, ordering more drinks and food. He was still going long after Kuroo had given up.

“Another shortcake please!”

“You’re going to make yourself sick Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah Bo, how are you still eating?” Kuroo looked sick just watching him.

“I’m hungry today!” _Clearly a lie._ He was struggling to get the most recent food down.

“When are you planning on leaving?”

“Um…” Eye contact was lost. _So he’s going to wait until my shift is over._

This had happened before, Bokuto mistakenly believing that he could persuade Akaashi to join him for something. It was a bit of a dilemma since he was only thirty minutes from the end of his shift. Maybe he could sneak out the back door before Bokuto noticed. Not that he’d get that much of a head start since Bokuto usually realised his beloved had disappeared.

“I’m going straight home after this; I’ve got a lot to do.” This was a clear enough hint surely.

“Then… Can I walk you home?” He was twiddling his fingers and looking down at the table, occasionally sneaking up a hopeful glance.

“Why?”

“I don’t see you much.”

“You’ve been here for two hours.”

“But that’s work time! I want to see you outside too!” Such a spoilt child.

“Please just accept Akaashi. He’ll drive me nuts with his whining otherwise.” Bokuto paused in his pleading to give Kuroo a glare.

“I don’t whine!”

“You’re my best bro and I’m telling you; you’re a whiner.”

“Oh…”

“I still love you though bro.”

“Bro…” They shared a tearful glance and Akaashi sighed.

“Can I leave yet? Not that this isn’t touching.” He just wasn’t sure why he was the forced audience to the epic bromance. 

“Only if you let me walk you home!” _Ugh._

“Fine.” Never had he seen a grown man celebrate that un-self-consciously.

He was still pretty much buzzing with happiness when Akaashi left through the back door of the building. And he still managed to brighten up further when he glimpsed his love interest.

“Hey Akaashi!!”

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi strolled onwards and Bokuto skipped along behind like an exuberant puppy. If he’d had a tail, it would have been wagging vigorously.

“Do you want to get some coffee or something?”

“I’ve been in a restaurant all day so no thank you.”

“Then… We could go and get a takeaway?”

“I have leftovers at home.”

“Oh… Err…” You could almost hear his brain ticking, so desperate was he to extend their time together. “We could watch a film?”

“Are you inviting yourself over?” For the third time that month.

“Only if you don’t mind.” He looked guilty at having been caught out.

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi sighed. “We’ve talked about this before but I’m not interested in a relationship.”

“I know! I just wanted to hang out platonically! As friends! With my buddy. My good old buddy Aka-.”

“Ok, I get the point.” This could have carried on forever. “Just make sure you don’t ‘subtly’ try to put your arm around me or hug me or try kissing me.” He needed to specify.

“OK!” And he wasn’t even disappointed. But then, this was a small victory for Bokuto. Akaashi would never have allowed any of this when they had first met.

If he was also agreeing to just hanging out platonically, Akaashi couldn’t keep disagreeing. He didn’t have any major problems with Bokuto; he was nice enough. Akaashi could only hope that one day Bokuto would find someone good enough for him instead of wasting all of his time with a person like Akaashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First BoAka chapter. This is my second favourite pairing after TenSemi so have been looking forward to adding these two in. The next chapter will be another TenSemi focused one and the one after that will either be DaiSuga or KuroKen. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Why do I even have this?_ Semi eyed the year old packet of crackers with distaste and tossed it into the bin at the other side of the room. He’d been living in this apartment for just over a year now and this was probably the first time he’d taken a day off to clean the place out. The amount of out of date food he had was truly impressive; working in the restaurant had meant he could have meals there instead.

_And why am I doing this on a day off anyway? I should be relaxing like a normal person._ He knew that if he didn’t clean though, he would probably end up doing something else. _Ugh. I need to learn to calm down for once._ He felt like a hypocrite with all the times he had told Goshiki to get some chill. That kid was ridiculous though.

Three hours of back-breaking labour later and Semi was sat in his now clean apartment. It was about typical for a student place where he lived and with his pay and small allowance from his parents, he couldn’t afford anything better. If this was what he had to put up with for a small amount of independence then so be it.

_Perhaps I can start having friends round again._ This had been something he had avoided since the place was so damn stuffy when it was messy. Not that he was the most sociable of men at the best of times but he could make an attempt. But for now…

Semi grabbed a packet of some variety of junk food and flopped down on to his side, flicking his TV to the first brainless reality show he could come across. It was annoying that he was stuck with only the bad re-runs of crap shows. It had been so long that he had watched any TV and he was becoming quickly reminded as to why. _Can’t I even enjoy letting my brain vegetate anymore? Why?!_

Semi laid face-down on the carpet and glared at the mush of carpet on his face trying not to suffocate in his laziness. Until he heard the terrifying sound of footsteps on metal as someone mounted the stairs to their floor. It was unlikely that it was coming for him since there were eight apartments along that row but the thought of having to get up for some kind of package annoyed him.

_Much as it would be appreciated, I hope they haven’t sent me any stuff from home. I cannot deal with any socialising today._ Too many days of talking with customers recently had grinded down his tolerance for this crap. The footsteps stopped outside his door. Semi lifted his head to glare at the door.

_Don’t you fucking dare, don’t you fucking dare, don’t-._ There was a knock on the door. _Asshole!_

Semi hoped this person wasn’t expecting any kind of pleasant interaction since that wasn’t within his capabilities. _It better be a fucking awesome package._

Opening the door, he was met with a pair of wide eyes staring right into the very depths of his soul. Semi froze and for a moment couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening. This was surely the weirdest delivery person he’d ever seen.

“Semisemi!” Why would anyone shout in another person’s face? Why would anyone just appear at someone’s home out of nowhere? “Are you dead?”

“Move away Shitori!” Semi shoved the lanky bastard away from himself, trying to slow down his rapidly increasing heartbeat. Tendou didn’t look concerned and surveyed him with his usual easy smile.

“Are you going to invite me in? I brought cake~.” He produced a small box with a little flourish.

“Um… Sure?” Semi was too surprised to react in his usual manner and he stood aside to allow Tendou to skip in.

_He’s in my apartment… How did he even know where I live? Why is he here? …He looks really good in those jeans._ Semi had a blush spreading across his face as he watched Tendou moving to the table. The jeans hugged his hips and legs well and the baggy (probably anime themed) shirt hung off his slender frame. _Damn he looks good. It’s hard to stop looking… But I should probably stop now._

Tendou had turned a little suddenly and Semi had to pretend he hadn’t been blatantly eyeing him up. It couldn’t be helped really; seeing Tendou outside of work was a rare occurrence.

“See something you like Semisemi?”

“No. Why are you here?” As always Tendou was unaffected by his bluntness.

“I wanted to see my buddy? Do you have other plans or something?” He had him there.

“No…”

“Great! Where do you keep the plates?” Semi pointed to one of his cupboards and slowly moved to the table, sitting as he watched Tendou busy himself in the kitchen. His kitchen no less.

_Am I dreaming? Have I passed out on the floor?_ He couldn’t really think of any kind of explanation of this series of events.

“You like coffee cake right?” Semi nodded as a plate was placed in front of him. “Thought so. Let’s eat.”

Tendou started feasting on some kind of raspberry and meringue concoction whilst Semi was still trying to understand what was happening. This was surely the kind of thing that would only happen in his daydreams. He was a little too shy to actually pursue it.

“Not gonna eat the cake?” He’d been staring too much.

“Oh! Yeah!” _Damn it was good._ He was having trouble not moaning at how good it was. This would of course cause some lewd commentary so he wasn’t going to let himself. Tendou had stopped eating and was watching Semi with a small smile. It was enough to make him freeze again. “What??”

“Enjoying it?”

“It’s good….”

“There’s a nice bakery near my place. I hadn’t been there in a while.” It was enviable that he could be so relaxed here. But then, he wasn’t the one with a crush. “I brought a film too.”

“That’s nice of you.” _What even is this?_ “Um…”

“Yes?”

“How did you know where I lived?” _He’s never been here before right? No, I would’ve remembered._

“Keiji told me.” _Kei- Oh. Akaashi._

“I wondered…” _Just relax Eita. He’s your co-worker and your… friend?_ He hadn’t clarified that one yet. “Want me to put the film on?”

“Thank you~.”

  1. _This is good. If he’s watching that, it takes the pressure off. He just apparently wanted to come round and spend his free time with me instead of someone actually fun or interesting…_ Semi nearly sighed. He was always down on himself eventually.



“So what is this?” It looked like an anime. What else would Shitori choose really?

“Howl’s moving castle. It’s awesome.”

“Ok...” It was probably likely to be a weird thing, but it gave him something to do and it would let him spend time with Tendou.

Semi sat awkwardly back in his seat and tried to focus on the TV to help him deal with the tenseness in his shoulders. All he had to do was get into the plot of the film and then he’d be able to calm down about having Tendou only fucking centimetres away. _Why did he move closer? Was it to get a better view of the TV?_ He was warm. The guy practically emanated body heat and Semi wanted to move closer. Of course he wouldn’t but he wasn’t going to move away from him either.

“Wait… Studio Ghibli?” Now this he recognised. Tendou gasped and put his hand on his heart.

“Semi! You really recognised it!”

“It did just say it on the credits.”

“You know Studio Ghibli! I’m so proud of you!” Arms were encircling him again, that strong smell of Tendou…

“I-I can’t see the film!” _Well done Eita. Dumbass._

“Good point Semisemi. You need to pay attention. This is a good one.” Apparently Tendou was just proud of his dedication to the film.

Interesting as it was, it was difficult to focus on the film with Tendou’s arm lightly touching his. He had stayed close and Semi was overly aware of the contact. And then Tendou was constantly turning to him. He was so excited that he was commenting on all the different parts of the film. The little smile and the way he practically buzzed was so damn cute.

_I’m so screwed, I’m so screwed. I just want to touch him. Damnit!_ And then there was the increasing realisation that out of all films, Tendou had picked one of the more romantic Ghibli’s. _Why? Why this one? Is he hinting something? Does he just like the film? I need to stop reading into this so much._

“She looks young but her hair’s still grey?” The film. He should focus on that.

“It looks good.”

“But wouldn’t she prefer to go back to her old self?”

“She has grown a lot as a person in this film and looks do not matter. Besides, what’s wrong with grey hair? Yours looks grey and it’s nice.” _He thinks my hair looks nice…_ “Oh! Semisemi you should do a cosplay! Or maybe it would be a crossplay…”

“A what??” _This is a foreign language right?_

“You would make a cute Sophie.” _He thinks I’d look cute. As a fucking woman._

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’d love to put you in a costume. I should get a matching one too.” _Matching…?_

“So you want us to do some kind of weird dressing up together?” Semi was bizarrely touched that Tendou wanted to share something he enjoyed like that with him.

“Yes! I’ve never done a pair cosplay before!”

“…Who would you be?” _I’m not considering this am I? But what if he said Howl?_

“Calcifer!” _Oh. Well. I can’t say I’m surprised._

“How would you even do that?”

“There’s always a way if you’re imaginative enough.”

“I can believe that from you.”

Of course the film had the cute kiss scene at the end. Semi stared. It was hard not to think of things when it was constantly being brought up in front of him. Tendou sniffled and pretended to wipe away a tear.

“Such a masterpiece.”

“It was good…” He liked it in spite of confusion.

“You wanna watch another one?”

“You have another one??” _Wait. Of course he would, why did I doubt him?_

“Totoro!”

“Ok… I’ll stick it in.” He’d liked that film when he was a kid anyway.

This film he had watched before so he was a little less focused. And for a while he was thinking about how nice this was and how he was going to have to get used to being around Tendou eventually. It took him a while to realise something he should have seen from the start.

It was only a vague feeling, something that had been there the whole time but had gone unnoticed until his other worries had diminished enough for it to make itself heard. Something was wrong here. Not spectacularly, but something was definitely off. As far as he could tell, Semi hadn’t forgotten anything or done anything wrong. _So if it’s not me… Tendou?_

Semi looked over at the redhead, currently still watching the TV. He didn’t look bothered by anything but as he was notorious for his poker face, this wasn’t necessarily a good indicator. Semi wasn’t even sure there had been a problem with Tendou, only an awareness that he seemed different to his usual self. _I could ask. Maybe?_

“Is something wrong?” Tendou started and for a moment his eyes showed the faintest hint of surprise. It was gone as soon as it was there. _What was that?_

“What do ya mean?” Very convincing if you didn’t know him.

“You seem off… or something…” It sounded stupid saying that aloud. “I just wanted to make sure you were OK.” That was as good as admitting he cared.

“I’m fine Semisemi. But wow, you were actually caring. What did I do to deserve this?” _Is he trying to deflect me? That sneaky fucker._

“Don’t fuck with me Shitori. Have you got a problem?” Tendou calmly met his gaze.

“I’m fine Semi. But thanks for the concern.” His smile seemed only a little too fake but Semi wasn’t going to push it.

_It’s not like we’re that close. He wouldn’t tell me if he had a problem._ Semi tried not to feel hurt by this.

After that conversation, Semi was too aware of the wrongness to enjoy any of the actual film. He couldn’t even think of any topics to move away from that atmosphere.

_I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I’ve just ruined our day._ Semi could feel himself deflating and he rested his head on his hand. He just had to focus on the pretty movie with the animation. That would make him feel better.

When the film had finished, he just stared at the blue screen, trying to motivate himself to go and switch it off. Tendou hadn’t said anything since and it was probably only a matter of time before he made his excuses and left.

Semi stood to go to the TV and was immediately pulled back down. His legs were surrounded by Tendou’s long ones and he was wrapped up in a pair of strong arms. He could feel Tendou’s chest against his and his face pushed into the back of Semi’s head. For a moment he could barely move.

“Tendou??” Semi squeaked out. He was being gripped too hard to really move, though honestly he didn’t want to move that much. Tendou took in a deep breath and Semi could feel himself getting warmer. _What the fuck is he doing?_ “S-Satori?” _God, I sound so pathetic. I can’t deal with this._ He was actually a little scared. “Satori?” The grip loosened. “I-I need to get the DVD out.”

“Do you?” Tendou didn’t sound very emotional. “Right now?”

“…I could wait…” Something in Tendou’s tone made him want to stay where he was.

“Hmm…” Yet again, Semi had to wonder what was going on in the brain of Tendou Satori.

\-----

Semi had been leant against Tendou for so long that he eventually fell asleep. He only became aware of this when he suddenly started forwards and was jerked into the world of the living. Semi could only blink with a dull sense of panic as he tried to remember what was going on. He hadn’t fallen; something was holding him up.

“You awake Semisemi?” _So close. Too close._ Tendou was talking right into his ear.

“How long have you been holding onto me?”

“An hour? I wouldn’t move a sleepy Semi; it would’ve been mean.” _An hour? I hope I didn’t snore or anything._ “Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything weird.” _Fucking guess monster._

“That’s good… I’m really sorry…” It was too embarrassing that he had done this.

“It was fun, I had a really good time.” This didn’t sound like sarcasm. Tendou’s chin was resting on his head and he stayed still. “You’re a good size for this Eita.”

“Thank you Sa-Shitori.” _Coward._

“So close.”

“Shut up. Why are you leaning on me?”

“You can move if you don’t like it.” _Shit. He’s got me trapped here._

“Fuck you.” He could feel the vibrations of Tendou chuckling against his back.

“Much as I would love to take you up on that kind offer, I have stuff to be doing.” Semi nearly fell over as the back support suddenly disappeared and Tendou hopped to his feet.

“Um…” Semi had to scramble up to reach Tendou as he headed to the door. “Are you feeling better?” Tendou smirked and leaned over until he was only a miniscule distance away. Semi gulped. Then a hand appeared and he was tapped on the forehead.

“Beep.” Semi attempted to swat him away, glaring as he did. “I’ll be seeing you later Semisemi!”

“Err… See you later?” Tendou pretty much skipped away, leaving Semi on his doorstep, feeling very confused.

_Well, he seemed better. Maybe. If there was anything wrong._ Of course Semi was going to be analysing the whole encounter for the rest of the night. And probably the rest of the week as well.


	5. Chapter 5

_He’s early… That’s adorable!_ Perhaps Suga should have gone straight over to the meeting place when he saw Daichi shuffling his feet and looking through the passers-by with unease, but he looked so endearing with his obvious case of nerves that he had to just look at him before he noticed his date had arrived. He was so anxious about being on a date with him that it was flattering really.

_OK, enough fooling around. He’ll probably think I’ve stood him up if I don’t hurry it up._ There would be plenty of time to enjoy looking at Daichi later. _I need to just get my date face on first._ Suga took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks and made a huffing noise.

_I need to look amiable but not like a pushover!_ Suga wanted Daichi to find him interesting so he had to make a good impression. They’d had very little conversation aside from when he had been serving and the few texts they’d used to set up the date so this was his chance.

_Right! Let’s do this! Let’s give him the best date of his damn life!_ A couple of passers-by changed direction and walked around him, a little disturbed by the grin and slightly menacing chuckle he was doing almost without realising. As he waltzed towards Daichi, still waiting by the ‘Welcome to the Shopping District’ sign, he watched as the man became visibly more tense as he realised Suga was approaching.

“Hey Daichi~. Have you been waiting long?”

“Oh hey! No, not long at all.” He gave an easy laugh and a smile that made Suga want to swoon. _You liar. You’ve been here at least twenty minutes._ Technically that was how long he’d been watched.

“So where are we going?”

“I thought the aquarium. Unless you’d prefer something else?”

“Perfect! Lead on.”

“R-Right!” _How can he get any cuter?_

The pair carried on down the street, Daichi mostly silent and a little tense, Suga outwardly calm. If he was attempting to plan out his next move there was certainly no sign of it on his face. Knowing as little as they did about each other, there wasn’t a hell of a lot to discuss but he could certainly try to find something.

“Lovely day isn’t it?”

“Yeah it’s nice.”

“We got lucky with the weather.”

“We sure did.”

_Hmm…_ It seemed his date was coming up with just as many topics of conversation as he was; none. Suga had been really excited about this since it had been the first one in quite a while and he wanted to enjoy himself. But what he really needed to do was make sure both of them were at ease. _Maybe I should encourage him to make some kind of move?_

Suga casually moved a little closer so as they walked, his hand was hanging within touching distance. Hand holding was always a good way to decrease the distance between people, even if it was mainly the physical one. He eyed Daichi from the corner of his eyes to confirm that he had definitely noticed the opportunity being presented to him.

_Ah. He’s sweating more. He’s definitely noticed this. What will his next move be? Or was this a little early? Should I have tried it later? Ah, this is so exciting! Nerve-wracking, but exciting._ And then, his hand was grasped, at a bit of a funny angle and with a sweaty palm. Daichi wasn’t really looking at him but he had done it. And after squeezing his hand in return, Suga carried on as if nothing was happening.

\---

“So, favourite colour?”

“Blue. Yours?”

“Green. Best friend?”

“Err… Well I guess I have two.”

“The guys you come into the restaurant with?”

“Yeah, Asahi and Tanaka. You?”

“Hmm…” Suga bit his lip and frowned. “I have a few friends but now I think about it…. I don’t really know if I have a best friend. I guess I get on well with Akaashi and Tooru?”

They were currently standing in the long queue on their way into the main area of the aquarium and Suga had suggested a game of twenty questions while they waited. A good way to pass the time and to get to know each other, as well as staving off the boredom.

“Which one’s which?”

“Tooru is the flirty one with the flicky hair.”

“Ah.” Daichi’s mouth twisted a little. “I think I know him.”

“Yeah, hard to forget.” Tooru’s flirting tended to be either amusing or annoying depending on who he did it to. It seemed Daichi was one of those who found it annoying.

“So is Akaashi the angry looking one?” _Angry lookin-? Oh._ Without meaning to, Suga let out a little laugh. “Did I say something stupid?”

“No, it’s just funny. Semi is the angry looking one.” It would be for the best if he didn’t tell Semi about this description too. “Akaashi is the sleepy and gorgeous looking one.”

“With the black hair?”

“Yep.” _He better not be thinking about how gorgeous Akaashi is._ “A lot of people like Akaashi.”

“Is he nice?” _Hmm... He certainly sounds indifferent enough._ And Suga had been sure that it was him he’d been after.

“Not exactly… Not that he’s mean or anything but people really like him.”

“I guess he looks good?”

“Indeed.” He watched and waited patiently as he saw Daichi was getting increasingly pink in the face and his hand, still holding onto Suga’s, was getting sweatier.

“Um…”

“Yes?” OK, maybe he had leant forward a little too keenly. He only put Daichi off for a couple of seconds.

“I think you… I think I prefer how you look…”

“Really?” And now he was smiling like a loon but who could blame him?

“Yeah… Especially when you smile like that.”

“I’ll have to smile more often.” If it made Daichi that flustered then it was worth it.

“W-Weren’t we playing twenty questions?!” _Nice subject change!_

“We were. Hmm… Favourite food?”

“Err… It’s kind of hard to pick just one…”

“The Omu-Rice from our place of course.” Suga winked.

“That’s… pretty high up there.” _I knew it._ “Yours?”

“Super spicy Mapo tofu. Although, I guess anything spicy will do.” And tricking people into eating spicy foods of course. “Where do you work?”

“This convenience store just by the campus. It’s pretty close to my place so it’s useful… I guess I don’t need to ask where you work…”

“Heh. I almost feel like I have a stalker.” Daichi froze.

“Well I do really like the food.” He gave a little nervous laugh.

“Of course you do.” This guy was kind of easy to tease. “You can just admit that you came to see me.” Presumptuous but pretty certain by now.

“Um…” _He’s not denying it._ “Oh look! We can get into the penguin exhibit!”

“Oh! Cute!” He did like the penguins. But if he thought he was going to forget about the topic because of some cute, tuxedo-wearing birds, he had another think coming.

The aquarium had been a pretty great choice for their first date; interesting animals and exhibits to divert attention when it got awkward in conversation, and the large number of couples there so they didn’t especially stand out. It was also fun to watch the other couples here, for mostly sadistic reasons…

“Did you see that?!” Suga grasped Daichi’s arm, pulling his attention away from the fish he had been watching in the Pacific tank.

“What?”

“That girl just slapped her boyfriend and stormed off! I wonder what he did…”

“Who knows?” The pair watched as the girl stalked out, pursued by an apologetic looking guy with a bruise forming down his face.

“Ah young love. Makes me think of my younger days…”

“Aren’t you only in your twenties?”

“I was referring to the teenage days.” Suga sighed, enjoying the nostalgia. “I wonder what else is going on.”

“What about the fish?”

“People watching is just as interesting.”

\---

_He’s enjoying himself right? It looks like it._ Suga certainly looked pleased to be surveying the crowds around them. Daichi really hadn’t known what to choose and so had taken Tanaka’s advice and gone for one of the usual first date sites.

His main problem had been the nerves. He barely knew anything about this guy and so he hadn’t known what to say or what he would like. Daichi had been admiring Suga for so long that he was concerned that he’d built up an image in his head of what he was like and wondering if said image was entirely accurate. What if he didn’t get on with the real Suga like he’d hoped?

Though by this point, he was starting to feel that this wasn’t going to be a problem. This guy made him laugh with his strange sense of humour and when he smiled along with some kind of weird comment. And the way he nibbled on his bottom lip when he was watching something with interest made him wonder what it would be like to place his lips against them. Hard to do when Suga looked up at him with such a focused gaze whenever he caught his attention.

“You sure like being nosy huh?”

“It’s why I like my job so much~. I get to meet some interesting people.” Another side glance at Daichi.

“I’m guessing you all like to talk about your customers in the back?”

“Of course! Don’t you guys?”

“Sometimes.” Usually he and Tanaka would discuss particularly difficult customers after they’d left. “We get a few regulars.”

“Same. We have this one guy who comes in every few days. He always moans about something but then he keeps coming back. Weird sideburns guy…”

“Wait, did you say sideburns guy??” _It couldn’t be…_

“Yeah? He always wears this red cap.”

“And a blue denim jacket??”

“You know him?!” It seemed like too much of a coincidence but in a small area like this, these things could happen.

“He’s one of our regulars too!  Always buys cigarettes but complains about the price!”

“Woah…” Both of them shared a glance. “It’s kind of weird that he of all people is a link we have, huh?”

“Yeah, thanks Sideburns Guy.” Daichi didn’t usually have any kind of positive feeling towards him. The man even annoyed Asahi and Asahi was normally too nice to get angry.

“He’s not my favourite regular though.”

“I don’t think anyone would consider him a favourite.”

“Agreed… My favourite’s this guy with a really fantastic pair of thighs.” Daichi started choking on air, so surprised was he by the sudden topic change.

“He sounds… intriguing?”

“He is. I’m pretty sure he has a huge crush on me since he keeps staring at me whilst I’m in the restaurant.” _I really wasn’t very subtle…_ But if Suga had been really disgusted by this, he would never have agreed to meet him or, for that matter, have written the message.

“And what do you think of that?”

“I think it’s really cute. I thought he was just my type~.” As nervous as this conversation made him, he had to smile.

“I guess I wasn’t the only one who had a bit of a crush.” He could hardly deny it by this point.

“Nope. What took you so long to make a move, huh?” _Is he seriously asking that?_

“I was being shy I guess. I didn’t want to ask you when you could have someone already.”

“True. I’m glad you did though.”

“So am I. I’d like to know more about you though.”

“Anything in particular? We never finished our game did we?” Suga perched himself on a bench in front of the sea otters. “Well? You can carry on with the questions.”

“Hmm… Are you studying at the university?”

“Yep. Child psychology.” _That suits._ “I’d like to be a child therapist.”

“I can see that. Sports science and physiotherapy for me.”

“This fits.” _He needs to stop looking at my thighs… Or maybe I like it…_

“Next question; would you like to have some cake after this?”

“I would never say no to cake.”

“I know a pretty good place, if you like?”

“I would. But first I have another question for you.”

“Go on…” Suga was looking surprisingly serious.

“Why did you decide you were interested in me?” That was expected but man was it hard to think of an answer just like that.

“Well…” _This is going to be embarrassing._ The angel nickname was not going to be mentioned. “I guess I like the feeling I get when you smile at me. Especially when you smirk like this joke has just occurred to you.” Mentioning it, elicited one of these smiles and a little laugh. “…I don’t know you well but I really want to get to know more.”

“You’re a pretty honest guy aren’t you? I like it though.”

“I’m glad…. And I have one more question.”

“That’s not a full twenty!”

“It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to know…” He had to swallow, throat and mouth dry. This wold be pretty forward of him but it seemed like the right moment. Right next to the cute otters. “Can I kiss you?” _You’re a grown man! You shouldn’t be embarrassed about this!_

“…Alright…” There was only a short pause before Suga replied, cheeks tinged with pink and eyes fixed on Daichi.

There were still plenty of people about but it didn’t matter if they saw or not. Daichi placed an arm around Suga, moving closer until their sides were pretty much pushed together. Trying to ignore the rising sense of nausea at what he was about to do and with Sugawara looking up at him, he leant forwards, only pausing for a second before placing his lips gently onto Suga’s.

It wasn’t a kiss that led to fireworks or a desperate kiss that had them clinging onto each other. It was a simple small gesture, allowing two people to get some kind of intimacy. Suga’s lips were as soft as he had imagined they would be. He smiled up at Daichi as they parted, cheeks still flushed and Daichi knew his were very much the same.


	6. Chapter 6

“I’ll be back to make dinner, OK? Try not to spend all day on that video game!”

“I won’t.”

“Later!” And with a small kiss, Kuroo was gone, leaving Kenma sitting alone on the sofa with only his PSP for company. Not that this was a problem.

Kuroo had gone to spend some time with his best friend/co-worker Bokuto for perhaps the third time this week. They had been friends a long time, almost as long as Kuroo and Kenma so he couldn’t complain. But…

_It kind of feels like he doesn’t want to spend time with me anymore…_ This annoying thought that had been festering in the back of his mind for a few weeks now finally decided to push itself to the surface.

They’d been living together for nearly a year since Kenma had finished high school and dating for nearly three. Being both partners and childhood friends, they had a kind of friendship and knowledge of each other that meant they could read each other better than other couples he knew. It was rare they had a reason to argue and Kenma wasn’t entirely sure he could remember any real fight they’d had.

But recently he’d noticed a… distance, he supposed was the right word, between the pair of them. It had started out gradually; Kuroo going out a little more, sometimes inviting Kenma along but recently not too often. With Kenma’s studies and Kuroo’s job, they were seeing each other less and less often and it was starting to bother him.

Today was their first day off together in a week and Kuroo hadn’t even attempted to ask if he wanted to do something. Partially this was down to him; he’d not said anything, not been sure that he knew what to say. He’d never needed to before now, Kuroo had always been able to tell if something was wrong.

_So what’s changed?_ Kenma had been trying to focus on the RPG in front of him but even that wasn’t enough to distract him from the issue at hand. _Have I made him mad? Is something wrong with him? Me?_ He could generally read people so why was he struggling with the person he should know best of all.

It had gotten to the point that he wasn’t sure how to bring it up now. Problems didn’t usually set in to such an extent for him. And he couldn’t work out how to solve it either for once. He couldn’t think of any option except… asking for help? It wasn’t something he really did but he did have one person he could ask.

With a sigh he removed his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through his list of contacts until he reached the name ‘Shouyo’.

-Page Break-

“Kenma! I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“Sorry to drag you all the way here…”

“I’ve been wanting to hang out.” One of the best things about Shouyo was that he was always keen to be around his friends. And he was one of the few people that Kenma wasn’t too overwhelmed by, odd when you saw how lively Shouyo was.

“How’s school?”

“It’s OK? So much work though!! And I don’t know what university I want to go to or if I can go to one. How did you deal?”

“With some difficulty I guess?” He’d blanked out most of the trauma of final year. “Your exams aren’t too soon are they? I’m not interrupting you studying?” It would be awful if his worries got in the way of his friend’s studies. Especially someone not as skilled in the way of study like Shouyo.

“It’s still a few weeks. And you never want to hang out, of course I’d say yes.”

“Sorry…” He could be a difficult friend if you liked people to socialise often. Something in his tone must have given him away because Shouyo was immediately on it.

“Is something wrong? You’re not in trouble right?”

“Not like that… I just needed some advice.”

“From me??” He nearly fell off his chair at the surprise.

“You seemed like you’d know in this case.”

“I will do my best!” Though it would be difficult to talk with him leaning over and practically buzzing with energy.

“Um… It’s hard to know… What to say…” It was a problem he was possibly imagining after all.

“OK, start from the beginning.” Shouyo sat back down, back straight and face concentrating.

“I don’t really know where it begins… I just feel that me and Tetsu aren’t as close as we used to be.”

“What?!” He’d expected this to be met with some surprise but when Hinata shrieked like that and practically jumped up, half the people in the café turned to look at them.

“Shh! It might just be my imagination.” And the number of people looking wasn’t making this conversation easier.

“But you and Kuroo have always been so close.”

“Yeah…”

“What happened?” His friend was almost tearful at the idea of something being wrong.

“I don’t know… We’ve just not been spending time together so much. And he’s always going out without me… I live with him but I think Bokuto sees him more often.” Without meaning to, he ended up sounding quite frustrated; so unusual for him that Shouyo looked taken aback. “Ah… Sorry, I got a little carried away.”

“No! Don’t apologise! I’d be hurt if Tobio did that to me.”

“What should I do?” Now that he’d confirmed there was some kind of problem (since Shouyo recognised it), he needed to take some kind of action. But the one thing he could do, he really was worried about.

“You need to talk to Kuroo obviously.”

“I thought so…” He’d just been terrified. He’d known him for so long and knew Kenma so well he’d struggle to bring this up. It was rare he found new territory with him.

“But if you don’t tell him, he might not know.”

“It’s never been a problem before.” This was part of his problem after all. Kuroo had never struggled to notice.

“It’s still important Kenma. You won’t feel better until you do.”

“I know… You’re right. It’s just hard to know what to say.”

“It’s Kuroo! You guys know each other so well, you’ll work something out.”

“I really hope so.”

-Page Break-

The nagging doubt at the back of his head was really not helping right now. He’d been filled with determination on his walk home but now he’d reached it, he was kind of afraid to walk in. Until he’d worked out Kuroo wasn’t home yet anyway. Slightly shaken, he stepped in; he’d never been afraid of Kuroo.

_Is something wrong with me?_ Kenma couldn’t even focus on his video game, something unheard of for him. Tapping his fingers on the side of the sofa, he leant back and furrowed his brow at the ceiling. Waiting for something you knew would be unpleasant always seemed to drag on and could feel each second passing. It was only twenty minutes he had to wait before he heard a key in the front door.

“Hey. Have you been in all day?”

“I met Shouyo for lunch.”

“You actually socialised on a day off? Nicely done.” A quick peck on the forehead and Kuroo moved on to the kitchen. “Stew for dinner?”

“That would be nice…” It seemed almost normal.

Whilst Kuroo busied himself in the kitchen, Kenma hovered just outside, close enough to be part of it but far enough that he wasn’t in the way. This didn’t go unnoticed since it was something he didn’t often do.

“Are you feeling OK Kenma?”

“Why?”

“You usually play a game before dinner.” It was only now occurring to him just how lazy he was.

“I don’t feel like it.” Kuroo placed the onion he’d been carrying on the counter and approached his small boyfriend with concern on his face.

“Are you sick? Got a fever?” His hand was placed on Kenma’s forehead as he surveyed him for any weird symptoms.

“No, I’m not sick…”

“So something’s wrong?”

“Not exactly…” Kuroo’s face was unreadable as he watched, picking up Kenma’s hand and guiding him back to their sofa. When both were sat next to each other, he leant forward, chin in his hands and eyes on Kenma.

“OK, tell me everything.”

“Um…” Now it came to articulating his feelings, he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Take your time.”

“Do you… Do you not like spending so much time with me?” That wasn’t what he had meant to say. He was supposed to ease into the topic but Kuroo always tended to change him.

“Where’s this coming from?” It was hard to tell how he felt about this right now. Kuroo’s face wasn’t giving too much away.

“You’re never here anymore and you only want to spend time with other people. Did I do something?”

“How long have you felt like this?”

“That’s not an answer.” _He’s evading the question. Something must be wrong._

“Kenma…”

“What did I do?”

“It’s not that.”

“So what is it?” He was leaning closer, desperate to know.

“…It’s the games.”

“Games?” For a moment he was stumped.

“I don’t hate you playing your games or anything but… I figured you preferred the games so I’d give you more space.” _Oh._ His chest felt cold.

“I don’t prefer games to you. I never have.” Even when he made him go to all the social events he didn’t like. “If you want me to stop playing so much, you could have just said something.”

“But you always look so happy; I can’t ruin that for you.”

“I’m not happy if I don’t ever see you.”

“Aww Kenma. That was cute.”

“It’s the truth!” Though now he was feeling more than a little flustered. Kuroo reached out and placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair.

“Aw man, you’re gonna make me tearful with all this honesty. You should have just told me you were worried.” Kuroo’s smile was starting to return luckily.

“And you should have said something to me.”

“Yeah I know. It’s kind of making me a hypocrite.” Releasing Kenma’s hair, he placed his arm around his small boyfriend and pulled him close so their bodies were touching. “I thought we had the talking thing sussed years ago.”

“So did I… Maybe we’re too close to think to talk sometimes.”

“I think you’re on to something there.” Kenma was feeling too relieved to do more than hum.

Kuroo wasn’t mad with him, it had just been a misunderstanding. One so simple they should have realised it ages ago but things like that happened. He guessed it was part of becoming an adult; learning how to deal with these new issues.

“We should make a deal for the next day off.”

“Alright?”

“You won’t play and games and will come out with me and I’ll just see you without Bokuto. Sound good?”

“I think that sounds perfect.” He could play games some other time and he couldn’t enjoy them when he was worried.

“Damn, I feel lucky. There aren’t many people you’d choose over games.”

“Will Bokuto be alright?” He knew the guy had his own issues he needed help with.

“Probably. I mean, if he’s having a bad day he might need a phone call but… Ah, I think we need to set him up with that Akaashi.”

“The one who keeps rejecting him?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“I don’t know. He could do with more friends at least.” _Hmm…_

“I think I have an idea…” Not the most original of ideas but it would certainly contribute to improving Bokuto and Akaashi’s relationship.

“I’m intrigued.”

“I’ll tell you while we eat.” In his worried state, he hadn’t realised how hungry he still was.

“On it babe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
